Personal Finance News Wednesday 10/24

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

Best Lodging for Less Than $70 Per Night

By Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 11:45 AM EDT

Whether you’re looking for a traditional hotel experience or a more adventurous solution, we’ve got your shoestring travel needs covered. I recently spoke with Budget Travel magazine for their top lodging picks for less than $70 per night.

Budget Hotels
When it comes to hotel chains, prices vary by season but especially by destination. You’d be hard pressed to find a $70 hotel room in any major metropolitan area. But in smaller cities like Montgomery, Alabama; Albany, New York or other places where there’s a surplus of hotel rooms – like Atlantic City or Las Vegas – the $70 or even $60 hotel room does exist at popular budget hotel chains.

“My to favorite budget hotel chains are Sleep Inn and Best Western because they’re incredibly clean,” says Laura Michonski, executive digital editor of Budget Travel. “They’ve both invested an enormous amount of money in renovating their properties, and they’re pretty ubiquitous.”

To read the entire article from Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-lodging-for-less-than--70-per-night.html

Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
When anger rises, think of the consequences. - Confucius

Personal Finance News Tuesday 10/23

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

6 Things You Should Know About People With Stellar Credit Scores
By Mandi Woodruff | Business Insider – Mon, Oct 22, 2012 1:08 PM EDT

With the average FICO credit score estimated at 690 (the highest possible score is 850), chances are most Americans wouldn't mind some advice on how to improve.

Of all consumers, just 25 percent have managed to achieve a score of 785 or higher.
Why not ask them how they've done it?

A new report by myFICO analyzes the habits of the country's savviest debtors to find out just how they've achieved a stellar FICO score.

[Click here to check current credit card offers, including rates and terms.]

Here's what they found:

1. They're not debt-free. On average, they carry an arsenal of about seven credit cards.
2. But they are minimalists, only carrying balances on about four credit cards or loans at a time.
3. The vast majority carry less than $8,500 in total debt (not including mortgages), while about one-third carry more. F or the most part, they use less than 7 percent of their available balances (that's $700 on a $10,000 card).

To read the entire article from Mandi Woodruff | Business Insider:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-things-people-stellar-credit-170120241.html

Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. -Thomas Jefferson

 

Personal Finance News Monday 10/22

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Water Bill
By Money Crashers | U.S.News & World Report LP – Tue, Oct 16, 2012 10:12 AM EDT


While reducing your water bill may not be too high on your list of ways to save money, it isn't a complete wash. According to a report by the American Water Works Association, infrastructure upgrades and improvements to our drinking water system are expected to cost at least $1 trillion between now and 2035, much of which will be passed on to consumers. And if you live in a rural area where there are fewer residents to share these costs, your bill could triple.

Start saving money now with these six ways to reduce your water bill:

1. Store cold water in the fridge. Instead of running the tap and waiting for the water to cool off each time you want a cold glass of water, fill up a pitcher or two and store them in your refrigerator. This works well if you use a pitcher with a water filter attached.

2. Take shorter showers. By reducing the time you shower by just four minutes, you can save almost 4,000 gallons of water per year. Focus on getting in and getting out. This can save as much as $100 on an annual basis and may help you save money on other utility bills, such as gas and electricity.

3. Don't let the water run when shaving or brushing your teeth. Don't make this mistake, since it's a complete waste of water. To rinse off your razor while shaving, just keep a cup of hot water next to you and dip it in every so often. When brushing your teeth, fill up your rinse cup and turn off the faucet.

To read the entire article from Money Crashers/U.S.News & World Report LP:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/simple-ways-save-money-water-141234232.html


Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with. - Mark Twain 

Personal Finance News Saturday 10/20

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

There’s no need to curb your enthusiasm

October 18, 2012 By Harvey Mackay

 

The old cartoon strip character Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes, once said the difference between him and the rest of the world was that … “Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!”

 

Calvin is right. You must live with enthusiasm. It’s one of the most important attributes to success.
One of life’s greatest tragedies is that the curiosity, enthusiasm and excitement about life that we are born with seem to erode as the years go by.

When the challenges of daily life get in the way, it is easy to spend more energy on putting out little fires than on sparking enthusiasm for overcoming those challenges.

Henry Ford once said, “You can do anything if you have enthusiasm … Enthusiasm is the spark in your eye, the swing in the gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of your will, and your energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis.”

You may recall Henry Ford’s early struggles to make his fledgling company successful. His enthusiasm for building mass-produced cars that many middle class Americans could afford to buy revolutionized transportation and American industry. Enthusiasm prevented him from giving in to setbacks and pressure.

When my own enthusiasm wanes, and it sometimes does, I look for inspiration from three of my favorite resources. Their advice is timeless and far-reaching. And it is well worth revisiting any time you feel your spirit flagging.

“Enthusiasm is the priceless quality that makes everything different. The men and women who achieve the most are invariably inspired by enthusiasm. They approach life, its opportunities, and its problems with this vital characteristic,” said Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of “The Power of Positive Thinking.”

“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success,” according to Dale Carnegie, one of the most successful inspirational writers of all time. Do you know his books “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “How to Stop
Worrying and Start Living”? They are great first steps to cultivating enthusiasm for living.

To read the entire article from Harvey Mackay.com:
http://harveymackay.com/column/theres-no-need-to-curb-your-enthusiasm/

Mackay’s Moral: There is one thing more contagious than enthusiasm, and that is the lack of enthusiasm.

Personal Finance News Friday 10/19

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

New Fannie, Freddie short-sale guidelines
Fox and Friends Thursday October 18th

Real estate guru Bob Massi weighs in:
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-friends/index.html#/v/1908969362001/new-fannie-freddie-short-sale-guidelines/?playlist_id=162383

Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. -Helen Keller

Personal Finance News Thursday 10/18

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

Face-Off: CVS vs. Walgreens
By Angela Colley | Money Talks News – Wed, Oct 17, 2012 1:27 PM EDT

Retail giant Walgreens has nearly 8,000 locations in the U.S., and CVS has approximately 7,400.

With so many stores nationwide, it’s no surprise that both chains are raking in sales. CVS rang in $107 billion in revenue in 2011, compared to Walgreens’ $72 billion, according to the latest Fortune 500 report. But when it comes to the consumer, which drugstore is cheaper?

I recently set out to compare prices at both drugstores. Then I also factored in prices at big-box retailer Walmart and online merchant Drugstore.com, which was acquired by Walgreens in 2011 but offers different prices on many items. Here’s what I found:

1. Over-the-counter drugs

Considering drugstores have the word drugs in their name, you would think they’d be the cheapest on over-the-counter medicines. But I found a better deal elsewhere on an 80-count package of Advil

Liqui-Gels.

Drugstore prices:

• Walgreens – $10.99
• CVS – $10.99

Compared to:

• Walmart – $7.97
• Drugstore.com – $12.59

Walgreens and CVS tied; Walmart came out on top.
 
To read the entire article from Angela Colley | Money Talks News:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/face-off-cvs-vs-walgreens-180840516.html

Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. -Thomas Edison  

Personal Finance News Wednesday 10/17

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

Easy Ways to Lower Your Internet Bill

By Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance – Mon, Oct 15, 2012 12:36 PM EDT

Being without Internet access can be more than a little inconvenient. It can mean a harder time staying up on the news, doing research for work and school and, of course, applying for jobs.

If you’re paying through the nose for Internet, or avoiding it altogether because of the cost, here are some basic strategies to get broadband for less — maybe even for free.

Dial Up

If you’re among the millions of Americans struggling to pay your monthly Internet bill, did you know that you can dial up for basically nothing? By doing a search for “free internet dial up” along with your city and state, you’ll find a number of options for free access numbers. It’s an old technology but a perfect option for low-volume surfing with no monthly fee or special software, plug-ins or spyware. Or sign up with Juno or NetZero to get up to 10 hours of free Internet time per month. If you need more hours, they have plans starting at $10 per month.

Sign Up For Low-Cost Programs

If you can’t bear the slow speed of free dial up, some of the country’s largest cable television companies and the FCC have banded together to bring low-cost, high-speed internet to low-income Americans. Depending on where you live, the three primary, competing low-cost Internet access programs are Connect2Compete, Comcast’s Internet Essentials and CenturyLink’s Internet Basics.

“Kiplinger’s research has found that you can get broad-band Internet service for as little as $10 a month if you qualify,” says Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “How do you qualify? Perhaps your children are eligible for the school lunch program or you’re eligible for other types of government support programs.” Bodnar says you may, in fact, even be eligible for a $150 subsidy toward a computer or free Internet and computer training. Check out CheapInternet.com for guidelines and to find the best low-cost options in your area.

To read the entire article from Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/easy-ways-to-lower-your-internet-bill.html

Inspirational Quotes@Inspire_Us from Twitter:
Ingenuity plus courage plus work equals miracles. -Bob Richards